Railway car



N; A. THUNSTROM RAILWAY CAR Feb. 9, 1943.

Original Filed Aug. 9', 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NMN Feb. 9, 1943. N. A. THUNSTROM RAILWAY CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Aug. 9, 1958 Patented Feb. I 9, 1943 RAILWAY CAR Nils A. Thunstrom, Chicago, 111., assignor to Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Original application August 9, 1938, Serial No. 223,963. Divided and this application March 25, 1940, Serial No. 325,830

1 Claim. (Cl. 105-397) This is a division of co-pending application of Peter Parke and Nils A. Thunstrom bearing Serial Number 223,963 filed August 9, 1938, for improvements in Railway cars.

The present invention relates to a railway passenger car of the duplex or double decker type which is provided with a plurality of bedrooms arranged at two different levels, one above the other. The upper rooms overlap-in part those on the lower level, and in fact utilize portions of the head room of the lower rooms. Each room is for single occupancy in that the upper berth 1S eliminated and, provides for maximum comfort alike to the passengers, whether they be traveling in the upper or the lower rooms.

Among the principal objects of the present invention are the following:

To provide a duplex car having adequate head room for both the lower and upper rooms, and a side frame for the car of suflicient strength to carry its part of the load and yet having adequate Window space for each room.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds and the description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the general floor plan arrangement of the rooms and the aisle, only the portion of the car from approximately its centerto the non-articulated end being shown;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the general floor plan arrangement from approximately the center of the car to the articulated end. This figure completes the showing of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation, showing the general arrangement of the upper and lower bedrooms;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the portion of the car extending from substantially its center to the, vestibule or nonarticulated end, the view showing the inside face of the bedroom side of the car;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the portion of the car side extending from its center to the articulated end;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the portion of the car taken from approximately its center to the vestibule or non-articulated end, the view being taken outside the car body and showing the aisle side of the car; and

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing the portion of thecar extending from substantially its center to the articulated end.

A specific embodiment of the present invention is'selected for the purpose of disclosure only, in compliance with section 4888 of the Revised Statutes, and the appended claims are not to be limited by this particular disclosure but are to be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

GENERAL ORGANIZATION Referring to Fig. 3, a car body is shown supported on a pair of trucks 26, 21. For thepurpose of illustration, the car is articulated at one end and non-articulated at the other end. Obviously the invention is equally applicable to a completely articulated car, or to one which is wholly non-articulated. To aid the description we will refer to the non-articulated end of the car as the A end, and the'articulated end of the car as the B end.

At the A end the car body is provided with a vestibule 28 (Fig. 1) of the usual type, having door openings at 29 and 30 which are closed by the usual doors 3| and 32. Steps '(not shown) are furnished to permit passing to and from the car, and trap doors 33 and 34 cover up the steps and finish out the floor of the vestibule 28. At the B end of the car body a passage 35 permits communication between the present car and an adjoining car. There are no outside doors at this latter end. Doors 36, 31, are provided at the A and B ends, respectively, of the car, and are hinged to end framing members and permit passage to and from the car-interior.

In a further efiortto simplify the description of the particular embodiment of the present invention the side of the car, indicated by the letter C, will be referred to as the bedroom side, and the opposite side, indicated by the letter D, will be referred to as the aisle side.

Extending throughout the length of the car is an aisle 38, which passes along the aisle side of the car. The bedrooms are positioned entirely along the bedroom side of the car, and open onto the aisle 38. In the particular embodiment chosen, duplex rooms are positioned in the region between the trucks, as shown in Fig. 3, and over the truck at the A end of the car a pair of bedrooms 39, 40, are provided, both being on the same level and having a communicating door 4| and a sliding partition 42 separating them. Between the room 39 and the A end of the car is a lavatory 48, having the usual hopper l9, washstand 50, and dressing shelf 51. A door 52 gives access to the lavatory. Also at this end is positioned a porters seat 53.

Further along the car, toward the center, is an upper room 43, separated from the room 40 by a solid wall 44. From this point to the region over the truck on the B end of the car are a plurality of duplex rooms. Over the articulated truck are an upper room 46, a locker 41 for housing equipment and porters supplies, and a locker 55 for housing electric panels, switches, etc.

The duplex rooms are indicated at 56 to 61, inclusive, 43 and 46, and are arranged in most part in pairs, as, for example, 56 and 51, with a partition 68 separating the two. This partition is provided with a communicating door 69 (see Fig. 1), and a sliding partition 10 adapted to be pushed into a recess between spaced panels I I, I2, making up the stationary portion of the partition 68. When it is desired to provide communication between two adjoining bedrooms, such as rooms 56 and 51, the door 69 may be swung back into one of the rooms, as, for example, room 56, against the outside door I3, thus closing 01f this latter door but giving access to an outside door I4 from either of the bedrooms 56 or 51. If it is desired to open the partition 68 still further, sliding partition I may be pushed back into the recess between the panels II and 12.

The upper rooms also are arranged, in most instances, in pairs, as, for example, rooms 58 and 59, and stairs 16, together with outside doors 11, I6, afford access to these adjoining rooms. A partition I9 separates adjoining upper rooms, and a communicating door 80 places them en suite. This door is the only movable part of the partition 19.

Each of the rooms is provided with a couch 8|, which extends transversely of the car and is made into a bed for night use, .a hopper 82, and a washstand and other toilet facilities, indicated at 83.

SIDE FRAME The arranging of the bedrooms along one side only of the car, with the resulting special spacing of window openings, produces a car having two side frames which are entirely different, and consequently will be considered separately. In both sides, however, as shown in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive, the framing members include a side sill IOI or I02 acting as the bottom chord, a side plate I40 acting as a portion of the top chord and belt rail I4 I, and a window header I42, all of which members extend the full length of the side frame. In addition to these members both side frames also include a corner post I43 at the B end, extending between end sill 93 and the side plate I40, 9. body end post I44 at the A end, which extends between the body end sill I32 and the side plate I40, and a plurality of side posts I45 "extending from the side sill to the side plate. The side sheathing 205 covers these framing members, and serves as the web of the side girder.

snm Fauna-Bedroom side Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the spacing of the side posts I45 is such that two window openings, one above the other, are provided between two adiacent posts. One of these window openings I46 is positioned directly above the belt rail I4I, but below the window header I42, and the second window opening MI is positioned above the window header I42 and below the side plate I40, and lies partly within the vertical projection of the lower window.

One of the posts I45 serves as one side of the lower window frame, and the belt rail I4I serves as the window sill. Extending between the side sill I02 and the window header I42 are a plurality of posts I48, whichare so positioned that each constitutes the other side of a lower window frame. A horizontal member I49 is positioned directly above each of the window openings I46 and extends between adjacent side posts I45. The vertical post I48 is welded or otherwise secured to the belt rail at I50, to the horizontal member I49 at I5I and to the window header I42 at I52, and to the side sill at I39.

Each of the upper windows I is positioned with a side post I 45 serving as one side of the window framing, the window header I42 acts as the window sill, and the side plate I40 serves as the top framing member of the window. A short vertical post I53 serves as the other side framing member for the window opening of the upper window, and extends between and is secured to the side plate I40 and the horizontal member I49. This post is also welded or otherwise secured to the window header at I54. The posts I48 and I53, and the horizontal member I49 and the window header I42, together with the outside sheathing I94 (which is secured to these members), serve to carry the stresses between the window openings. A gusset plate I55 may be secured to the inside face of these framing members (as shown in Fig. 5), ii. desired, but in most cases the outside sheathing I94 will be sufiicient.

Thus, it is seen that the lower window in each case is surrounded by main side load carrying members; namely, the side sill I02 at the bottom, vertical posts I45 and I48 along its sides, and the window header I42 across the top. Each of the upper windows likewise is surrounded by main side load carrying framing members; namely, the window header I42 at the bottom, vertical posts I45 and I53 along its sides, and side plate I40 across the top.

The window openings and posts are so arranged that they occur in groups, and the space I38 between these groups is devoid of any window openings and is bounded on each side by side posts I45 which extend the full height of the car side.

.At the A end of the car, over the region of the trucks, the windows are positioned on one level. Reinforcing posts I 56 are placed above and below the windows where needed.

The side sheets include a girder plate I34 extending the full length of the car between the side sill I 02 and the belt rail I4I, an intermediate plate I35 positioned between the belt rail and the window header I42, and a letterboard panel I36. An outside belt rail I69 covers the seam between the girder plate I34 and the intermediate plate Sins FnAME.ArsL!-: SIDE Window openings I68 are provided on the aisle side, and they are positioned at one level and spaced more or less in the conventional mannerthe side posts, window header and belt rail serving as the framing members for the window openings.

An attempt has been made to indicate in the drawings and description where the various members are attached, and many riveted joints have been.sh'own in the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the number of rivets required at each joint is not accurately shown. Welding has been used to a great extent in securing together many of the members. and. of

course, may be used in a great many places other than thoseshown.

I claim:

A vehicle having a load carrying side wall, a lower longitudinally extending side wall member adjacent to the bottom of the wall, an upper longitudinally extending side wall member adjacent to the top of the wall, a plurality of vertical side posts extending between and secured to the lower and upper longitudinally extending side wall members, said lower and upper longitudinal- 1y extending members and said side posts constituting the main side wall load carrying framing members, a pair of Windows disposed between two adjacent side posts and in vertical spaced relationship with respect to each other, the lower window lying closely adjacent to one of the last mentioned side posts and above the lower longitudinally extending member, and the upper window lying closely adjacent to the other of said last mentioned side posts and below the said upper longitudinally extending member, the two windows being staggered longitudinally of the car so as to provide insufiicient room between the windows for the passage of a continuous, vertical framing member from the lower to the upper longitudinally extending member, an intermediate longitudinally extending framing member between and secured to the said two side posts and disposed between the lower and upper windows, and intermediate vertical posts closely adjacent to the lower window on the'side thereof opposite to the first of the last mentioned two side posts, and extending between and connected tothe lower and intermediate longitudinally extending framing members, and a second intermediate vertical post closely adjacent to the upper window on the side thereof opposite to the second of the two adjacent side posts and extending between and secured to the intermediate and the upper longitudinally extending framing members.

NILS A. THUNSTROM. 

